History and Theory of Reception

Abstract

This article argues that the concept of reception is older than is generally thought; that, even so , the recent ‘turn’ in this direction is a significant one; that the concept of ‘cultural translation’ is useful in reception studies; that a number of problems plague scholars who try to trace the history of the reception of particular texts or other cultural artefacts; and that despite the problems, this approach continues to illuminate intellectual history. Examples from the cultural relations between Europe and East Asia will be privileged, on the grounds that the more distant two cultures are from each other, the more visible the reception process becomes.